Tourists up 30pc as marketing pays

Waimarino kayak instructor James O'Rourke is ready to start the the new season as tourist numbers to the Western Bay rise. Photo / George Novak

Visitor numbers to the Bay's eight key tourist attractions jumped almost 30 per cent in the year to July, thanks in part to extra tourism marketing funds paid in the aftermath of the Rena grounding.

A report compiled by APR Consultants for Tourism Bay of Plenty shows visitor numbers to key tourist attractions in Tauranga and the Western Bay went up 28.9 per cent to 136,689 visits in the year to July, with a 44.7 per cent increase in international tourist numbers, boosting the Bay's $530 million tourism industry.

Attractions included Aerius Helicopters, blokart International, Comvita Visitors Centre, Kiwi 360, Waimarino and White Island Tours.

Kristin Dunne, Tourism Bay of Plenty's head of marketing, said the results of the report showed the Bay was moving in the right direction and the organisation was looking forward to the coming summer and cruise ship season.

Ms Dunne said Tourism Bay of Plenty had received extra funding in the last two years from the Crown Rena settlement, plus $200,000 from the MSC Shipping Rena Fund.

The extra funds allowed more marketing reach than usual, Ms Dunne said. "We are marketing the destination as much as our budget allows, internationally and domestically with a range of activities - there is no silver bullet, it's about chipping away in the right areas. To see growth ... to our attractions tells us we are moving in the right direction and starting to see the fruits of those labours show through in results, which is real money in the hands of our tourism operators."

Waimarino general manager Ross Haine said much of the increase to their kayak tours had been because of marketing to international retailers.

"We're getting promoted more overseas, particularly in Australia."

"There are better tools available to the customers. The world is going online, the improvements in the ease of which people can book things online has made a big difference.

"We've also had some pretty damn good weather which makes a huge difference."

Mr Haine said the Asian and Malaysian markets were picking up, but most international visitors to Waimarino were from Australia.

White Island Tours marketing manager Patrick O'Sullivan said he had seen a significant increase in international visitors in the last year, although numbers had not quite bounced back from where they were pre Global Financial Crisis.

Mr O'Sullivan said the biggest market was Australia, followed by United Kingdom and Germany.

While White Island Tours had undergone marketing and promotion work, other influences such as the great summer in the Bay last year also helped, he said.

Andrew Te Whaiti, Comvita Tourism Partnership general manager, said he was pleased with the results.

"We are seeing good success out of our primary markets of China, free independent travellers, and education.

"We are a niche product, but showcasing something really unique in the Bay of Plenty and it's a wonderful story to be told," Te Whaiti said.

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